Path 2

Path 2

THE GIVING TRIO

October 8, 2008

Who knew in 1997, when they first hit, that Tulsa pop-rock trio Hanson would not only outlast their peer kid bands, but also be at the forefront of the wider shift to independence from the major-label rat race that so many of their elder artists are still baffled by? Well, I did, and have been quietly gratified to see the brothers–Isaac, Taylor, Zac–expand their sonic range and successfully negotiate how to evolve aesthetically while still pleasing their core fan base of aging teens and tweens. Over the past few years, they’ve been showing their family values (while reflecting my own) by engaging in hard work against poverty and AIDS in Africa. Touring behind their latest on their own label, The Walk, Hanson will continue to step in the right direction, sonically onstage and off-, by engaging fans in pre-show, one-mile barefoot walks to raise awareness for the cause. With Everybody Else and Dave Barnes.